


Strawberries and Cream

by CryingMyEyesOut



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Post Episode: s02e09 Lady of the Lake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23519515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryingMyEyesOut/pseuds/CryingMyEyesOut
Summary: Ten years since a certain man left Camelot for reasons unknown, and now, the two sides of the same coin meet.The episode "Lady in the Lake" instead happened after season 3 and before season 4. Then the plan Merlin makes in the episode isn't destroyed by Arthur murdering his girlfriend.Don't question it, I just think Gwaine is awesome.Oh and Lancelot's still deadAnd Uther's deadAnd Agravaine never existed.
Relationships: Freya/Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur rode next to his wife. The knights rode not too far behind them, laughing at a joke Gwaine had told them. It had been three years since the ban on magic had been lifted, and the area around them seemed to have changed tremendously. The trees were a much more lush green, flowers grew all year round, and creatures of magical nature would pop up everywhere. It was a lot more peaceful now, but there were still some places where pain still leaked in.

Ten years, and Arthur still felt guilty about Merlin. It was so strange. He seemed to have left for no reason at all. The only sign of Merlin in the castle was a small stack of letters, each dedicated to a person. One for Gaius, one for Gwen, and one for Arthur. Inside Merlin wrote about how sorry he was to leave, but he had a reason that hopefully, we would learn of at one point in time. But the biggest shock of all was how Melin talked about his magic.

At first, Arthur was mad, he stuffed the letter away so he wouldn't have to read about his friend's treachery, but curiosity ate away at him until he had to read it. Merlin wrote about how he was born with magic, how he had learned to control it from Gaius, and how he had used it to protect Arthur during his year of service, and how he wished he could have told the man sooner. Arthur couldn't lie. That made him cry.

But here he was now. A king, a husband, a knight. He had promised himself and Merlin that as soon as he got the chance, he would undo his father's tyranny. And he did. And here he was now.

"Arthur." Guinevere's voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up. In front of the group was a large cliffside, covered in vines that hung from the side. Gwaine jumped off his horse. "Bet you can't climb to the top," Percival said, taunting Gwaine. "Bet I can," he replied. Removing his cape, he ran up to the cliffside and began scraping at the vine-covered rocks. Or he attempted to. Gwaine jumped straight through the vines and was hidden from view.

There was a gasp of surprise.

"What the _fuck?_ " Gwaine said, heard but unseen behind the curtain of vine.

Arthur jumped off of his horse and walked toward the natural veil. He pushed his hand against the green. It went. Right. Through. "A secret cave," Leon exclaimed. "No," Gwaine's head popped through the vines. "A secret _tunnel_." Everyone looked among themselves. Gwen spoke first. "Well come on then, let's go!" She urged her horse forward, and Arthur and Gwaine jumped onto their own.

The tunnel was wide and smooth, as though it was carefully carved out by hand. 'Or magic' Arthur thought to himself. The ground under their feet was hard, and for some reason, covered in fluorescent pink mushrooms. It seemed unreal.

"What is this place?" Elyan exclaimed, looking at the mushrooms in awe.

They rode for a few minutes before they reached the end of the tunnel. The end was also covered in vines, though these ones were grapevines. The group eagerly picked the sweet berries. When they looked around themselves, there was a very audible gasp. They were in a hidden valley, lush fields of grass with cows scattered about and fields of wheat that went on for yards.

And there just by the tunnel entrance, was a cottage. It was a pretty thing, made of white stone and dark oak. The outside was decorated by a dark oak fence and bushes of red strawberries and roses. It was like a fairytale. They tied their horses to the fence and headed toward the home. When Arthur reached the door he knocked lightly. It opened.

And there stood a young girl. She looked around five and was quite slim, but it suited her. She had long dark brown hair, and large, piercing blue eyes. Familiar eyes.

Gwen came toward the door. "Hello, little one." The child looked at Gwen in awe for a moment, before smiling. It was a large, smirk like smile. Something Arthur hadn't seen in years. "What's your name dear?" "I'm Avalon." 'That's strange,' Arthur thought, 'the child does not recognize the Pendragon Crest.' "And where are your parents, Avalon?" "They're working on one of the wheat fields. Do you want me to get them?" "Yes, that would be good," Gwen replied. "Okay!" The child then looked out into the distance and did nothing. "Uh, kid you alright?" Gwaine asked, clearly as confused as the rest of the group. "They're coming now," The girl said, "Mum said to let you in." The child then opened the door fully as confusion spread across the groups face. Once they entered, they saw how this family lived.

The home had three rooms, since Avalon's parents seemingly built the house themselves, and it was surprisingly clean. Herbs hung from the ceiling with candles placed on quite a few surfaces. On the left, there was a fireplace and a small table with four chairs, with a desk opposite the door. On the right was the kitchen, which was just a large bench with shelves. On both sides of the fireplace were the bedrooms. When they entered Avalon's room, they could see the family was preparing for a second child. There were two beds, one a small single bed, while the other a small cot. Shelves were decorated with books and carvings of dragons and... cats? There was also a small cupboard where the girl kept her clothes.

The parent's bedroom was a bit plainer, though more untidy than the other rooms. There was a large cupboard and a bed for two people, and there were two small side tables. On one, there was a small dragon figurine and a large pile of books. On the other, a glass vase with a bouquet of roses. Next to the table though, was a dress hanging from the rafters. It looked more expensive and well cared for than anything else in the house.

As the group shuffled back into the main room, Gwen kept up small talk with the girl. A few minutes past until the door opened. And there, stood in the doorway, was a woman. She looked in her late twenties, early thirties? And was obviously pregnant. She wore a simple garment she seemed to have made herself. The strangest thing about her was the necklace she wore. It was deep green and was as round as the sun. "Mum!" Avalon shouted, running towards the woman. The lady huffed in shock when the girl ran at her, but smiled affectionately down at her. "Hello Ava, how are you?" she asked Avalon. "I'm doing very good! Meet my new friend! She's just as beautiful as you!" The woman chuckled and looked at Gwen, still smiling but with a look of confusion at the queen. "Um, honey, I believe we have some very special visitors. The woman's husband was a very interesting sight. He was lean, though not underfed. He had black hair that needed a trim and the same strikingly blue eyes as Avalon. Merlin's eyes.

"Arthur." The man said.

"Merlin."


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin

This had to be a joke.

He couldn't be here

Alive

With a _family_

No

This was a sick joke

A _very_ sick joke

"Merlin?"

Gwen's voice cut through Arthur's stunned state as his wife stepped toward the skinny man.

"Hello, Gwen."

Suddenly, the air seemed to shift.

_"MERLIN!"_

Gwen hugged him, while the knights took turns slapping him on the back. Arthur just stood and watched the scene.

He could _not_ handle this.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?!" Arthur couldn't handle this. A man he hadn't seen in _10 years_ had just waltzed right through the door and everyone was acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"Well I couldn't exactly go back to Camelot while the ban was still in place, could I?! Good grief, Arthur, you're an even bigger prat than I remembered!"

"It's been _three years_ since I lifted the ban!" Arthur shot back, ignoring his old servant's lame attempt at their old banter. "You didn't even stop by. You didn't even say goodbye!"

Merlin looked at him uncomfortably. "Well, I thought if I just stopped by and said 'Hey Arthur, just so you know, I'm leaving Camelot with my druid lover, and by the way, I have Magic. You would have arrested me right on that very stop!"

It was Arthur's turn to feel uncomfortable. "I wouldn't have arrested you." Merlin's left eyebrow shot up in a very Gaius like way. "I wouldn't have! I would have been mad, yes, but I wouldn't have executed you!"

Merlin shook his head. "Even if you didn't execute me, your father would have." Arthur winced inwardly. "And even if you didn't tell him, I couldn't have left Freya, and she couldn't just stay in the catacombs, she would've been caught. Even after you lifted the ban, what could I have done? Return to being your servant, for all I knew, you would have me locked up! No. I did what I had to do to stay alive and keep my family alive."

Silence filled the room.

"Will you come back now?" Gwen asked, looking up at the man, "Back to Camelot?"

Merlin sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I guess I have no choice if the queen asks me herself."

Gwen smiled widely.

Gwaine popped up. "So, can I take the cows?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the endings bad, might fix it later.
> 
> There ya go! If you want me to, I can write an epilogue! So, you know, comment
> 
> Bye
> 
> \- Maja

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this isn't my best work, gonna probably add a second chapter. I'll also polish it then as well.
> 
> Until next time my dudes
> 
> Maja


End file.
